The present invention concerns an exercise device which facilitates the use of elastic bands for exercise.
Elastic bands, which may be either round or flat in cross-section, are frequently used to exercise and strengthen arm or leg muscles, for physical therapy and/or for aerobic exercises of the body. The bands are stretched against their elastic force by pulling their opposite ends apart or by attaching one end to a fixed object and pulling the opposite end.
Various devices and methods have been devised for attaching one end of an elastic band to an object. One method is to loop the free end of the band around a hook, a bar or an eyelet, as is disclosed for example in the U.S. Pat. No. 9,050,493. This requires the free end of the band to have a ring or loop, or to be tied in a knot. The U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,331 discloses a “pronged” connector for attaching elastic bands together and also a method for securing the elastic bands to a fixed object using this connector.
The pronged connector 10 shown in FIGS. 1-5 and 8 of this patent reference includes a base element 11 and three “prongs” 12, 13 and 14. The connector is used by the methods taught in the reference to create a closed loop for attachment to an object. The band is looped around the object and then connected to itself using the pronged connector.